Edo Tensei was powerful, but as things stood, even if Kaede Tsukasa obtained and learned the technique, he simply couldn't use it.
He didn't have enough chakra.
Even if he forced an Edo ninja into existence, how was he supposed to control them? Orochimaru had refined the technique, developing a method with talismans to reinforce control—what could Kaede Tsukasa possibly use to keep Edo ninja under his command?
Most importantly, the difficulty of learning the technique was astonishing. Only Orochimaru and Kabuto had mastered it.
But the One's Own Life Reincarnation was different. This was the forbidden jutsu Chiyo had poured her life into, a technique that could grant puppets life!
In the original timeline, Chiyo had used it to transfer her own life force into Gaara, trading her life for his.
Her original intent in creating the technique was to sacrifice herself to revive her "Father" and "Mother" puppets, so that Sasori could once again have his parents.
So, when Kaede Tsukasa said the One's Own Life Reincarnation was a complementary jutsu to human puppetry, he wasn't entirely lying.
But the reason Kaede Tsukasa longed for this jutsu wasn't to give life to puppets. As for giving life to zombies? Well, maybe that was a creative idea, but it definitely wasn't his true purpose.
What he wanted was for a zombie to use the One's Own Life Reincarnation—on him!
Zombies could use chakra, could use the jutsu they had in life. So, transferring what remained of their life force into Kaede Tsukasa's body was entirely feasible.
With a steady influx of life force, Kaede Tsukasa could make up for his greatest shortcomings—his weak body and meager chakra reserves!
By carrying hordes of zombies as disposable resources, whenever his chakra ran out, he could immediately summon a zombie to replenish his life force, then convert that temporary life force into more chakra!
As long as his supply of zombies didn't run dry, Kaede Tsukasa's chakra would never end!
And really, how many zombies could there be…? Weren't they practically limitless? How many wars erupted every year? How many died in each battle? How many ordinary shinobi without kekkei genkai had their corpses hastily burned or buried?
The supply was endless. Absolutely endless.
If Kaede Tsukasa had vast life force as his supplement, then within the wide shinobi world, where couldn't he go? Wouldn't he then have even more chances to obtain higher-quality zombies?
It would form a perfect cycle. Kaede Tsukasa would break free of his current predicament in one stroke. To claim he'd leap straight into Kage-level was an exaggeration, but at the very least, advancing to jōnin—and even surviving encounters with elite jōnin—was entirely possible.
With this unique Zombie Release system, he would become a formidable and bizarre opponent.
"All of this hinges on obtaining the One's Own Life Reincarnation. That's the key to breaking the game."
Kaede Tsukasa glanced toward the dense forest in the distance. Perhaps Sasori of the Red Sand was hiding behind one of those trees?
No, unlikely. Sasori had probably cloaked himself in his puppet armor and sent a sand clone instead. There was no way his real body would be so close.
"Once Sasori learns the effect of this jutsu, he'll probably guess what I intend to do…"
Come to think of it, corpses turned into zombies, zombies turned into living humans restored to their peak, and then Sasori taking them to remake as human puppets…
Yes, that would be quite the industry chain. Even ninja who had been dead for some time could still be of use. Sasori wouldn't need to focus only on killing the living. He'd surely be delighted by the idea.
Talking ideals with an artist was more effective than just talking profit.
…
The war pressed forward, just as Konoha had anticipated.
One unit after another crushed the enemy, then moved to assist other units. Konoha's advantage grew with each battle.
The accumulated gains from countless small victories over the past years finally bore fruit—nourished by the countless corpses of ninja from both nations.
The Sand Village army had finally collapsed. Chiyo's poison was neutralized by Tsunade, and Monzaemon was struck down by Hatake Sakumo in close combat.
Everywhere, Sand ninja fled, while Konoha ninja, standing victorious, proclaimed yet another major triumph.
"It's a pity the old man won't allow us to invade the Land of Wind. Victories like this are essentially just driving out the invaders; our absolute losses aren't any less than the Sand Village's," Tsunade muttered.
She stood on high ground, looking down at Konoha ninja chasing the fleeing Sand ninja. Watching the endless waves of retreating enemies, she felt a surge of irritation.
Kato Dan, standing beside her, spoke gently: "If we invaded the Land of Wind, it would expand the war between the two nations, forcing the enemy to mobilize more forces and resist desperately, causing us even greater losses… and even if the losses are equal, the Sand Village suffered more."
"If we really want to make them suffer, we should hurt them properly. They just come and go as they please?" Tsunade shook her head, frustrated at the thought.
At the war's outset, Konoha, Iwa, and Suna had mainly fought in the Land of Rain. Only later did they divert some troops to directly invade each other's territory.
After Hanzō announced the Rain Village's withdrawal and the village no longer participated in the Second War, the three nations began concentrating their full forces, intensifying both invasion and counter-invasion campaigns, escalating the war's brutality.
The Sand Village had been the most aggressive in attacking Konoha, and now that they had collapsed, Konoha had no intention of counter-invading. The assertive Tsunade found this intolerable.
Or rather, she had grown weary of this war. Her beloved younger brother was dead.
Fortunately, her lover was still alive.
Looking at her partner, Tsunade felt a measure of comfort and asked, "So, what about that kid, Kaede Tsukasa?"
"Very capable. Both in terms of secret jutsu and temperament, he's reliable. From what I've observed, the space-time jutsu he developed is also very interesting, with strong practical combat value," Kato Dan praised freely; he had always been indulgent and fond of his companions.
After a moment, he added: "Though his body is weak, and he lost two fingers during the mission assisting the medical ninja Nono, which reduced his potential."
"Body-wise, that's manageable. As long as he has no genetic disease, there are techniques in the village to strengthen him physically. But the fingers…"
Tsunade frowned. That was beyond help.
Prosthetic fingers? Konoha didn't have that technology.
Missing two fingers meant certain hand seals couldn't be formed properly. The only good news was that he could manipulate corpses to perform the jutsu in their stead.
"The Sand Village can no longer pose a threat. Let him return to the village to rest for a while. I'm quite interested in his progress," Tsunade said.